By Rosemary Tukundane
Population in urban centers is increasing on high speed leading to the high demand for food, this calls upon people living in urban dwelling areas to grow their own food in the backyards for food security, production of organic food products and creating cheaper prices for food is the greatest drive to growing food crops in our backyards.
Immaculate Mugisa Ajara a research officer Muzardi at Mukono zone research center says that urban farming is an activity that involves production of crops, animals, post-harvest handling, value addition, transportation and marketing.
Mugisa added that it is important that food in urban centers is supplemented by urban people.
‘’Urban farming [ growing food in the backyards] enhances food security and nutrition, it is also a recreative source of income ‘’ Immaculate added
‘’Growing food crops in your backyards needs less requirements to startup and therefore people need to no worries to begin this productive activity’’, she added
Beginning a backyard garden needs capital like any other plantation, these are the requirements needed to start your home garden.
‘’Black fertile soils, basins, sacks, stones, timber, cement, grass, water source, seedlings and little capital for hiring a few workers’’, Mugisa said
Helpful guidelines for people who have limited capital to start up a backyard garden
- You can start up something simple like a cake garden that needs good soil, black polyethene and stones that will improve drainage and a food tower that requires good soils, nets, poles and simply seedlings to start up your journey of urban farming.
Robina Nagayi Gafabusa a senior research technician at Mukono Zone Muzardi is an urban farmer who teaches people the great importance of urban farming.
She added that one has to go for crops that mature fast, quality yielding that will keep yielding time after time.
Proper gardening to obtain healthy crops
- Planning
- Look for black soils that has nutrients, it is important for most people interested in backyard farming to know that black soil contains nutrients that help in growth of strong and healthy crops.
- Look for decomposed manure, gather cow dung, chicken dropping any other dung from livestock keep it to decompose to ready manure, hot manure burns crops that is why decomposition is very essential in manure making.
- Allow drainage because the backyard plants are planted in restricted place during watering, mix charcoal dust with water.
- Mix soil, charcoal dust thoroughly and fill the garden to create enough nutrients for the plants and create drainage leading healthy crops.
How to make a successful backyard
- Need labor to collect materials like wire mesh, manure, soils and build tall towers for planting.
- Seeking knowledge before you venture into any business is important. Consult about what crops to crop and their market strategy.
- Need materials used grow crops like car tyres, polyethene, basins, soils, charcoal dust and water.
- Having your own sources of getting manure so that you can prepare it easily.
- Make sure you have a water source for water supply to your crops for better production.
- Make your own organic manure from home like water from fish ponds are good for backyard gardens.
